Post or pole anchorage



Dec. 1, 1964 H. B. BIEHN 3,159,248

Pos'r 0R POLE ANCHORAGE Filed April 5, 1961 INVENTOR. HRLD B. B/EH/V ATTORNE United States Patent O M 3,159,248 PGST R POLE ANCHRAGE Harold B. Biehn, Greeneld, Ohio (Box 110, Washington Court House, Ohio) Filed Apr. 3, 1961, Ser. No. 100,235 3 Claims. (Cl. 189-31) The present invention relates to a post or pole anchorage.

An object of the invention is to provide an improved ground anchorage means for posts, poles, and the like, which incorporates the advantages of superior durability and effectiveness for rigid support of a post or the like under changing conditions of ytemperature and weather.

Another object of the invention is to provide an improved post or pole anchorage means of highly simplified design, which may be manufactured at low cost, and erected with great savings of time and labor.

The foregoing and other objects are attained by the means described herein and illustrated upon the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. l is a perspective view showing a fence corner post erected in accordance with the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a side elevation of the assembled structure.

FlG. 3 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of the lanchorage means in initial or contracted form, prior to driving the post to final or home position.

FIG. 4 is a view similar to FIG. 3, showing the post driven to home position.

FIG. 5 is a cross-section taken on line S-S of FIG. 4.

Although 4the invention is herein disclosed with reference to a corner post for the support of a fence 8, this disclosure is to be treated as exemplary only, for it wl become lreadily manifest that the anchorage is applicable to many types of situations involving upright supports requiring anchorage in the ground.

The structure includes a pole or post 10, preferably thought not necessarily of metal, having a lower end 12 which is substantially rigid and non-collapsible. The lower end of the post is adapted for entry into the upper open end of a tubular base member or post receptacle 14 to be buried in the ground with the open upper end 16 exposed yat ground level.

The lower open end 18 of the base member. is slitted at several locations, such as 20, the slits extending lengthwise of the post and preferably in parallelism with its axis, the slits being of sufiicient width to permit inward deformation of the base member wall to reduce the size of the open end 18. This deformation is performed at the shop or factory, and the base member is taken to the site of anchorage in the contracted condition mentioned.

The segments 22 formed between the several slits 20 are provided each with an anchor arm 24, herein shown by way of example as straight angle irons welded intermediate their ends to the several segments 22 of the base member. The welds are indicated at 26. It should be understood, however, that attachment of the anchor arms may be effected otherwise than by meansof welds, and that the anchor arms may be shaped otherwise than shown, so long as they will function to anchor the base member in the ground, as will be explained.

By referring to FIGS. 3 and 4, it will be evident that forceable driving of post down into the segmented constricted end of the base member will result in expanding the slitted portion of the base member, to bodily extend the anchor arms 24 outwardly until the slits 20 are re-opened as in FIGS. 4 and 5. The post will then be firmly gripped by the base segments, and the anchor arms will have been driven radially outwardly within a hole in the ground into which the base member was set prior -to driving the post to the home position.

3,l5,248 Patented Dec. 1, i954 ice In practice, the earth will first be bored to a depth approximating the length of base member 14, or to a depth below the frost line. The size of the bore will be such as to accommodate the constricted end of the base member, with its anchor arms 24. After placement of the anchor member within the bore, suitable filling material such as earth, gravel, or the like will be tamped about the anchor member until the bore is iilled. Then the post 10 is to be inserted into the open upper end of the anchor member, and finally driven home to expand the segments 22 and project outwardly the anchor arms 24 thereto attached.

The simple procedure outlined above results in an exceedingly secure anchorage for the post, and the anchor arms 24 being below the frost line, will effectively resist any tendency of the post to change elevation as the ground freezes and thaws about the upper and intermediate portion of the post receptacle or base member 14.

When the structure is to be used as a corner post for a fence or the like, as in FIG. l, the post element may be provided with inclined guys or stays 30 secured tofthe post as at 32, while the lower ends of the guys or stays are secured at 34 to suitable anchors 36 embedded in the earth. lf desired, horizontal struts such as 38 may connect the post to the guys or stays 30 at a desired elevation above ground level.

ln addition to the fence application, the invention may be employed in anchoring other forms of posts or poles, including piling set along the shore of a body of water, whether submerged or not. Other applications will suggest themselves to persons conversant with various other arts or situations.

It is to be understood that various modications and changes in the structural details of the device may he made, within the scope of the appended claims, without departing from the spirit of the invention.

What is claimed is:

l. A combined post and ground anchoring means therefor, comprising an elongate tubular receptacle forming said anchoring means and adapted to be fixed in the ground and having an open upper end and an open lower end, the receptacle having a wall in which a portion ofthe lower end lthereof is longitudinally slotted to form a plurality of segments, the receptacle being initially of constant inside and outside diameter throughout its length and of substantially unvarying wall thickness at least in the slotted portion thereof, a tubular post having a lower end portion extensible into the open upper end of the 4receptacle and through the length of the receptacle, said segments being bent inwardly and constricting the said open lower end of the receptacle to a size smaller than the said lower end portion of :the post, said post being of an overall cross-sectional dimension throughout said lower end portion to fit snugly in the receptacle whereby the segments are forced outwardly as the lower end portion of the post is driven downwardly through and to the lower end of the receptacle, and an elongate anchor member disposed transversely of the lower end of each segment and rigidly iixed midway of its ends to the segment for movement outwardly with the segment into surrounding earth as the post is driven to the lower end of the receptacle, each .anchor member being of a form to facilitate its penetration of the surrounding earth.

2. A combined post and ground anchoring means therefor, comprising an elongate tubular receptacle forming said anchoring means and adapted to be fixed in the ground and having an open upper end and an open lower end, the receptacle having a wall in which a portion of the lower end thereof is longitudinally slotted to form a plurality of segments, the receptacle being initially of constant inside and outside diameter throughout its length and of substantially unvarying wall thickness 4at least in end portion extensible into the open upper end of the receptacle and through the length of the receptacle, said segments being bent inwardly and constricting the said open lower end of the receptacle lto a size smaller than the said lower end portion of the post, said post being of an overall cross-sectional dimension throughout said lower end portion to liit snugly in the receptacle whereby the segments are forced outwardly as the lower end portion of `the post is driven downwardly `through and to the lower end ofthe receptacle, andan elongate anchor member extending transversely of and rigidly xed against and to the lower end of each segment and including a longitudinally extending relatively thinV at ange projecting outwardly from the segment and lying in a plane substantially perpendicular to the receptacle, whereby said anchor member anges will be forced apart and outward- 1y from the receptacle into surrounding earth when the post is forced downwardly into the receptacle.

3. The invention according to claim 2, wherein said anchormember consists of an angle bar disposed with one angle extending vertically 'against the segment to which it is attached and lying in a substantially vertical 'plane with the other angle thereof forming the said outwardly projecting relatively thin flat flange.Y

References Cited in the tile of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 770,674 lCarver Sept. 20, 1904 841,645 Downs Jan. l5, 1907 870,053 Scholes Nov.V 5, 1907 978,505 Stewart Dec. 13, 1910 1,982,687 OBrien Dec. 4, 1934 2,955,430 Alston Oct. 11, 1960 

1. A COMBINED POST AND GROUND ANCHORING MEANS THEREFOR, COMPRISING AN ELONGATE TUBULAR RECEPTACLE FORMING SAID ANCHORING MEANS AND ADAPTED TO BE FIXED IN THE GROUND AND HAVING AN OPEN UPPER END AND AN OPEN LOWER END, THE RECEPTACLE HAVING A WALL IN WHICH A PORTION OF THE LOWER END THEREOF IS LONGITUDINALLY SLOTTED TO FORM A PLURALITY OF SEGMENTS, THE RECEPTACLE BEING INITIALLY OF CONSTANT INSIDE AND OUTSIDE DIAMETER THROUGHOUT ITS LENGTH AND OF SUBSTANTIALLY UNVARYING WALL THICKNESS AT LEAST IN THE SLOTTED PORTION THEREOF, A TUBULAR POST HAVING A LOWER END PORTION EXTENSIBLE INTO THE OPEN UPPER END OF THE RECEPTACLE AND THROUGH THE LENGTH OF THE RECEPTACLE, SAID SEGMENTS BEING BENT INWARDLY AND CONSTRICTING THE SAID OPEN LOWER END OF THE RECEPTACLE TO A SIZE SMALLER THAN THE SAID LOWER END PORTION OF THE POST, SAID POST BEING OF AN OVERALL CROSS-SECTIONAL DIMENSION THROUGHOUT SAID LOWER END PORTION TO FIT SNUGLY IN THE RECEPTACLE WHEREBY THE SEGMENTS ARE FORCED OUTWARDLY AS THE LOWER END PORTION OF THE POST IS DRIVEN DOWNWARDLY THROUGH AND TO THE LOWER END OF THE RECEPTACLE, AND AN ELONGATE ANCHOR MEMBER DISPOSED TRANSVRSELY OF THE LOWER END OF EACH SEG- 